Skip to main content

Hulu's Watchlist simplifies the way you save movies and shows for later

Hulu's Watchlist simplifies the way you save movies and shows for later

Share this story

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Back in 2013, Netflix tossed away its traditional instant watch queue in favor of "My List." The feature reorders content you've saved for later and prioritizes the movies and shows you're most likely to watch next. Now, Hulu is taking its own approach to improving the way users save stuff for later. Today the company announced Watchlist, a new section that combines three existing Hulu items (Queue, Favorites, and Shows You Watch) into a single feature.

Hulu Watchlist

And yeah, it sounds very similar to what Netflix is doing. Watchlist is about more than making a simple, static list of stuff you eventually hope to get to. Hulu thinks it can learn from your previous viewing habits and put your favorite shows and Criterion movies a single tap away. If you're religious about watching the latest episode of a certain show each week, Hulu will recognize that pattern and surface the show at the top of your Watchlist. It also checks off "duh" features like adding future episodes of shows you like. Here's what the company says about its "futuristic super-smart Hulu assistant thingy."

Watchlist dynamically tailors the order of your content to match how you watch TV. Shows that have new episodes or shows you’re binging on will be prioritized in the Watchlist order over shows or movies you haven’t started yet. Watchlist even learns from you, and gets smarter over time. The more content you watch on Hulu – the more personalized Watchlist will become.

Watchlist also puts binge viewing within instant reach with a new "play all" option that plows through everything you've added. It's available starting today at Hulu.com, through the company's iOS and Android apps, on Apple TV, Roku devices, PlayStation 3, Amazon Fire TV, and Samsung's "latest" TVs and Blu-ray players. There's no word on just when it'll come to Xbox One or PlayStation 4, but Hulu says more devices are coming over the next "couple months." All Hulu users will gradually be moved over to Watchlist over the coming year, but you can opt in right now if you're tired of the Hulu of old.